Afternoon Tea

January 14, 2018

Arctic blast with negative temps, the threat of thermo-nuclear annihilation & the constant barrage of tweets from a very 'stable genius'. Needless to say, I've been a bit slow welcoming the rise of this New Year - more like an otter.

I have also been hiding from you all.

For the simple reason that I have no business posting a luscious cake as my very first post of 2018.

What am I thinking?!

I know you want salads and soups and paleo and Whole30 but all I have to give you is....cake!

In fact, I hope you'll all eat this one on my behalf because you'll be doing me a favor.

I made the mistake of stepping onto the scale and tried fitting into my pants and basically the whole of my wardrobe which was a total oopsy - so no cake for me. Cake for everyone around me, but no cake for me!

The boys have been devouring it with relish. I've made this for afternoon tea, taught it at my last cooking class and needless to say, the reviews have been warm and fuzzy.

Needless to say, I think you'll enjoy this luscious lemony cake very much plus I'm sharing my no-fail tricks for getting the sucker out of the Bundt pan. If you've used a Bundt pan, you realize not one of us will ever attempt this without a prayer and in my case, the additional liberal slather of Crisco!

So without further ado, here are sweet tidings for 2018 with Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake.

December 11, 2017

I tend to take my inspiration wherever I can get it. But sometimes it come easy, infact right from my refrigerator!

Enter, candied blood oranges a.k.a. aranciata rossa from Sicily. On our trip a few years ago, I had bought back a circle of this delicious stuff from one of my favorite and one of the oldest chocolate shops in Sicily, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto and because as you know, everything we bring back from travels far and wide falls into the 'simply precious' category, I've been waiting to unwrap this beauty when inspiration struck.

It's a serendipitous coincidence when inspiration strikes just in time for my Holiday baking class that I teach annually (but it might also be that one was the catalyst for the other).

This scone recipe is a classic, one I've used over so many years with different seasonal add-ins, blackberries, pumpkin and the like that these Christmas scones were bound to come about. Add-ins like dried cranberries, pecans, orange zest and of course candied orange peels are just what you need to make these gorgeous aromatic scones.

Now as much as I hope that you all have a wonderful circle of aranciata rossa in your refrigerator, perchance you don't, Amazon is that place to go and you'll find some really delicious candied orange peels from vendors like Olive Nation. I've been using theirs for years and I don't earn a commission for saying so.

I hope you'll give these Christmas scones a try because you really will love them. I serve these with imported Devonshire clotted cream that I purchased from Wegmans at $8.99 for an itty bitty bottles that's good enough for 4 persons but I find mascarpone works just as well!

August 19, 2017

At work today we hosted a delegation of culinary educators and chefs from China. And yours truly had to come up with a recipe for breakfast that could feed a crowd - of 35!

So this week, my family and folks at work have been patiently critiquing the fruit of my labor before the big production. And I've got to say it after all that effort it went really well. For one I had a blast, we worked together as a team and if all the lovely compliments was anything to go by, this dish hit the spot.

A French toast casserole, stuffed with ricotta, and loads of bacon and then topped with the dreamiest luscious maple cream you can imagine - Nuf' said! . Did I mention, I added more bacon to top it off - you can never have too much bacon, can you?!

It's also pretty easy to put together because it sits overnight and all you have to do is pop it in the oven the next day.

Everyone at work has been patiently awaiting this post and though this would have been so much better 2 months from now, just before the holidays, I've never been one to put a good thing on hold! ha ha!

So here goes and Bon Appetit!

I'm taking the next week off just in time before the kids go back to school so have a great rest of your summer and I'll see you in a couple!

The truth of the matter is that cyber space is cluttered with millions of food blogs and some start off with a bang and then wither off within a year or so. Others start and then spin off into doing something completely different and so after a few years, the blog falls off. But there are some of us, who have been doing this for years. If you've been at it for more than 5 years, kind of like a business, chances are, you're doing what you were meant to do.

Those of us who started off at around the same time have been keeping an eye on our fellow kindred spirits. We're still here. That counts for a lot, doing what we do. Because the truth of the matter is, we're doing it against all odds - day in and day out; marriage, kids, jobs, travel, retirement, the list goes on. And though for some it is about monetary gratification, for many, it simply comes down to love.

It doesn't matter if we write a couple of times a week, weekly or bi-weekly. The bottom line is, you know we're going to show up.

So Maria and I have been keeping an eye out on each others posts for a long time. And often we'll get on there and write a thought or comment. And having tagged her recipe from way back when, I finally got off my hiney and made it. With some minor tweaks of course - reducing the sugar and tweaking the flour quantities etc.

Because that's what we do - we take what inspires us and make it our own. We take who inspires us, and write about them in a small but meaningful gesture. And what Maria does matters.

April 03, 2017

I can't say that Upside down cakes are a staple around here. Though mind you, Mr. Hubby does love the pineapple version of it provided it's made from scratch.

But lately, I've been seeing versions of banana upside down cake quite a lot all over the blogosphere. So the Afternoon Tea seemed like a perfect time to make one to go with Ham & Tarragon finger sandwiches.

I also found ripe red bananas that remind of smaller sweeter plantains that I decided to use. Mind you, if I have to make this again, I'll probably just end up using organic yellow bananas because Mr. Hubby buys them each week like they're going out of fashion, so I almost always have plenty of these lying around.

The whole thing take no more than a hour to put together so is perfect for a lazy Sunday.

As always, I'm using my staple cake recipe that never lets me down and I only ever use the thick pure Vanilla bean paste - none of that extract business for me. And you can forget about the imitation nonsense.

Feel free to forgo the rum or Marsala. I used some only because I had the Marsala lying around the house. I do however recommend using a cast iron skillet. It retains all that excellent uniform heat and bakes the whole thing quicker and perfectly.

So if you're like me and are always looking for clever ways to use bananas, I think you'll like this one a lot.

January 23, 2017

Alas.... I can't eat much of it because given the chance I'd eat my weight in the stuff!

But occasionally, I give in to the devil of temptation and bake a gorgeous artisanal loaf.

Hot off the oven, I cut thick slices of this heavenly stuff, slather with Kerrygold salted butter and drizzle with deep amber honey. As you can see, I have bread issues!

This recipe from Paul Hollywood is sensational. One of the great things about my job is that I work with fellow Culinary Instructors and that means I always surrounded by amazing talent and recipes. My colleague invited me to a demonstration of this bread and I was hooked!

Of course, no way was I going to someone's word for it and promptly set out to re-create the recipe in my home kitchen. As y'all know each recipe here is personally made by me and tested and tweaked before I bring it to all of you.

Now I cannot lie, Ive made changes. I found it quite painful to measure the tiniest bit of ingredients in gms. And neither do I think we need to be so OCD in our approach. Since then, I've made it several times using all purpose flour and bread flour and the results are fabulous.

December 09, 2016

I know it’s been a while but I’ve been at this so long, that I feel I need to make no excuses to y’all for my absence. Because life happens and because you know I’m committed to my corner here in the blogosphere. And that means this website needs to roll with the punches – just like me.

These past few weeks, I’ve been cooking up a storm. You won’t know it because, you haven’t heard from me about all those recipes – hand written scratches on equally ratty pieces of paper are stacking up in the corner of my counter top patiently waiting for me to make sense of them, organize my thoughts and finally write a post.

I find I hardly watch the news channels anymore & have removed the Facebook app from my phone. I have no reason to turn my energies towards the ‘echo box’ except once a day when I take delight in the happening of friends and their rich lives.

However, I am resolved to make my corner of the world a little better. And that means by creating more, cooking more, writing more and spending quality time with my family & friends. I love my job working with Adult and Community education, I love the people who join me for my cooking classes and I have so much to be grateful for because they give my life, purpose.

So each day, I THINK. HAPPY. THOUGHTS. And so many of those revolve around great food! And travels! Like the trips we've taken. And the next culinary vacation I've put together for Montreal & Quebec city next year. BTW, email me if you want to join (I have 2 spots open!)

See? HAPPY THOUGHTS.

So finally, here I am sitting on my exercise ball (yes I do and no, I don’t have an office chair) in front of my computer writing about one of the most yummy and chocolaty recipes you can ever make these holidays.

From Tuscany, Chocolate ‘Salami’ loaded with nuts and biscuits and a hint of orange zest. The roll makes wonderful hostess gifts, presents beautifully and is perfectly portioned so you can enjoy a piece of, rather than indulge in gluttony followed by a hefty dose of self loathing!

October 28, 2016

I’m taking a break from writing the final post the series I’ve been posting these last few weeks on Singaporean and Malaysian classics and posting a delicious autumnal tart that I put together for my last cooking class – Autumnal Squash Tart.

And I can I just say it is PERFECT for Thanksgiving and I think you’ll really enjoy it!

It’s so great for Vegetarians in your company but you’ll love it even if you aren’t one yourself.

So here goes, it begins with store purchased puff pastry. Roast up some butternut squash and sweet potatoes with olive oil and puree with ground cumin and chipotle & feta cheese. You can already tell this is all going somewhere good!

The tart gets baked with the butternut squash-feta puree as the base, think circles of yellow squash and zucchini decorate the tart in overlapping layers, feta cheese in dollops all over, some salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil all over and in the oven.

So good hot. Cold, it tends to get soggy so I wouldn’t recommend having it sit out for hours on end. Can’t wait for y’all to try it and tell me what you think!

July 28, 2016

Have you noticed how humble food in any cuisine is many times, the yummiest?

Take these ‘sandwiches’ for example, these iconic little crusty bread rolls in Spain, are eaten in tapas bars, street corners or as little hand held snacks on way the way to work, weekend camping or any other time you want a little something something.

They don’t have a lot, some meat, ham, cheese, omelet or tuna. No onions, lettuce none of that. So though a bocadillo might not sound as appealing as an American sub, it more than makes up with simple ingredients full on flavor.

And it’s because of their simplicity that they’re so darn delicious and easily portable when traveling.

So the one we’re making today begins with some crusty rolls – I like to buy an assortment; onion, rosemary & plain so everyone can get 2 with different bread. Though not traditional, then slap on some aioli on both sides (recipe included), be generous with pepadew peppers thinly sliced. If you’re never had pepadews they’re hot and sweet at the same time – LOVE!

Next some 2-3 scrunched up slices of Serrano Jamon or Proscuitto and finally thin slices of Manchego cheese.

So so good! I started teaching my high school kids culinary camps this week and the kids loved kicking off day one with these bocadillos. I mean seriously, what’s not to love.

A cold one, a couple of these…sigh, life is good!

And speaking of good, I'm taking the month of August off peeps. I'm taking some time off to sharpen my skills and hone my knives.

I'll see you in September, rested, rejuvenated and back in the kitchen!

July 21, 2016

It’s summer and we’ve got 3 digit temps to prove it! Fortunately that also means such lovely fruits and veggies on the market stands.

So this week, I made my favorite triple berry crisp.

But instead of just putting all the buttery good stuff on the top, I line the pan with it, load the berries in the middle and finish with the crumb on the top as well.

Think of a delicious oatmeal buttery cookie with delicious berries in the middle….only better because it’s a la mode.

So I’ll be honest, this one’s for a cheat day. The crisp is insanely delicious and to no small part due to the 2 sticks of butter I use. The good news is, no one’s asking you to eat the whole bloody thing in one sitting!

This will serve 8 people for one serving good with plenty of leftovers for day 2. Ask my minions! They’ve been gobbling it down with ice cream for 3 nights in a row. Who’s complaining!

And I’m telling you – don’t try skimping on that butter unless you want saw dust for the topping. AFTER ALL! IF AIN’T GOT BUTTER, IT’S NOTHING TO HOWL ABOUT!

June 04, 2016

Weekends are meant for lovely little brunches and finger foods and tapas and coffee with dear friends. You get the drift! Yes it's all about food and wine, I admit.

And I adore having a plate of this lovely on hand for a quick bite. Italy, Spain or Greece, the love for olive oil runs deep and so it should come as no surprise that all great things begin with copious amounts of stuff.

If your trainer is anything like mine (I'm thinking of you - Natalie!) and expects you to eats measured spoons and not cups of the stuff then take heart in the fact that all most all of the olive oil is sieved off and reserved for a future meal Yippee! Though I would reserve this for a cheat day...just saying.

But this story isn't all about the olive oil. It s about sauteed garlic, onions, green bell peppers and potatoes cut up into little cubes and turned a little crispy in olive oil. And most of all its about the eggs.

If it weren't for Pino Rosa from the Canary Islands and a chance friendship that started in a first class compartment of a train on the from Varanasi, 23 years ago, I probably wouldn't have been making this dish for so long.

Having loved it for so long, it was only a matter of time I brought it to you.

There are many many versions of this classic. Some mediocre and some worse. This isn't one of them. I think you'll love this one and with a few added tips in this recipe, you won't have to worry about flipping the pan and all that either.

April 29, 2016

This one of those great weekend baking treats. . If you suffer a mortal fear of pie crust, you really need to make this crust. SO FORGIVING! It won’t tear and break on you and will come out of the oven tasting like a million bucks and you’ll impress the socks off your guests.

I love this crust – a rare thing this is that is so unique with origins in Spain and Portugal.

Ironically, nothing like the French pie crust, the texture of this crust unlike anything we usually come across in the realm of pie crust is one that takes me back to my childhood days. Probably because many bakeries in Mumbai are run by Goans and Parsis and with the Portuguese influence in Goa, this crust pretty much covered many of savory and sweet filling. This and puff pastry of course which as we know is synonymous with delish.

Who would have thought that just a spot of yeast in the dough would entirely change the structure of flavor of this crust. It adds a strength and flakiness without allowing the crust to crumble all over the place.

And it holds its own to the delicious filling we have here – with tuna, loads smoked Spanish Paprika, onions, peppers, smoked Spanish chorizo (which I add just because), chopped up fresh tomatoes, parsley, olives, hard boiled eggs….can say yumm?!

The filling once cooled is what stuffs this crust and gets baked in a an enormous 11 inch x 17 inch baking pan. No small little individual pieces to roll out here. The whole thing once baked gets cut into large squares and served. It’s the way it’s served in Galicia and so should you.

April 01, 2016

It's to bring all those itty bitty techniques in making a dish that takes from the realm of ouchie to easy.

We're talking Phyllo here.

Ask anyone who is non-Greek and they'll tell you just how scary it is working with Phyllo because the sheets tear or because they can't get it all smooth and perfect. On the whole, the idea of working with Phyllo is a nerve wrecking affair. Enter Xanax.

And then talk to a Greek person (one who cooks that is) and they'll tell you just how little time they spend worrying about the Phyllo.

Hardly any actually!

The top sheets out of the packet are sticking together?

So what? Just peel them apart gently.

Sheets tearing in the process?

No worries! Hide those at the bottom! As long as your top 3 sheets are pretty, it's all good.

In short, stop worrying about the Phyllo!

Plus, I have a technique that makes it even easier. And that's 'stacking'. Stop fooling around with one sheet at a time. It's inefficient and takes twice as long. Instead stack the sheets, plonk them all together onto your dish and you'll be done in no time.

Without the Xanax.

For details on all that, you'll just have to read along, scroll down, look at pics and follow what you see.

Meanwhile, lets talk filling for a minute.

I love the filling that goes into this. Sauteed onions of at least 3 varieties is my favorite; green, yellow & red. To which is added, loads of spinach and chopped parsley. And a touch of nutmeg to keep it real. And finally, lovely creamy feta with a bit of cottage cheese but never ricotta.

When I speak of feta, I'm talking about the stuff that comes in big blocks from the Middle Eastern store of Turkish or Greek variety. None of that dried up crumbled stuff from your regular grocery store, folks.

Considering that you should buy your phyllo from such store to begin with - #4 phyllo, Athena or Apollo brands please, it's worth the trip to buy both.

Needless to say, when layers of Phyllo, smothered in your love and butter come together, nestle that delicious filling, few things in life are more delicious or more comfort food.

Truth be told, I could eat this every single day and never be tired of it. Warm or room temperature no matter.

If only my hiney and expanding waistline would heed, I'd be so good.

But never mind me. The more important thing here is that I took a batch into work and my very Greek boss who is the Queen of Spanakopita gave it her nod of approval saying it's just the way to she makes it.

March 26, 2016

How often in life do you get to say that the food of my broke student days is the same I cook even now?

Not very, I should think.

But in this case, it's spot on.

Bacon and Egg Pie from New Zealand is one of those magical creations that has everything a kid in me loves - puff pastry, eggs, bacon. Way back when, we never bothered with tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Get real! We were graduate students with long days ahead with nights that were even longer and fresh green things didn't have a long prosperous life in our refrigerator! More like a black, moldy life!

So we'd just sprinkle a bit of tomato ketchup stirred around in a bowl with Worcestershire sauce and spoon little droplets all over the eggs. Puff pastry on and we'd be good to go.

Now when I make this, like I will tomorrow as part of Easter brunch spread, I'll spruce it up and make it all grown up gourmet with tomatoes and herbs. And that's crucial because the tomato and herbs, lightens up what should in fact be a heavy, sit in your tummy kind of pie and makes it quite light and refreshing.

Trust me, you really really have to give this one a go!

You'll even forget it's origins lie with the sheep shearers in the country and be convinced its from hoity toity urban restaurant where they'll charge you 15 bucks a slice. Truly!

March 10, 2016

And all of this only gets better with a buttery flaky wonderful crust. My version though a slight adaption from a Julia Child encompases some otehr things I swear by when I make pie crust - using a combination of butter and lard or shortening and using an egg - yolk for flavor and egg white forall that protein that also gives the crust some structural strength.

In short, you've got what it takes to never fail at pie crust...ever..again!

The rest is just wonderful full on flavor ingredients, cream, Gruyere cheese, bacon and leeks sauteed and added in, some fresh thyme.

A band wagon of yumminess all around! I love serving my quiches with a spinach strawberry salad but y'all can serve fresh fruits is you like.

December 16, 2015

If you've got family or friends who like Mr. Hubby does not care for chocolate then you're probably hunting just about now for holiday recipes without chocolate.

And here's the good news even if you aren't, you should totally make this cake. Especially if you love lemons or even if your relationship with lemons is a not-so-much one, like mine.

I know I'm not making much sense right now but if your take away from these first few lines is 'make this cake' then you get me!

For one thing this cake is reminiscent of the lovely old Italian cakes with polenta and citrus and it has that fantastic mouth feel and texture of that wholesome cake and the freshness of lemon bars. See what I mean now? - great texture, lovely refreshing flavor, win-win!

It's also a breeze to make - about 20 minutes to stir and sift and pop it in the oven. None of that cream this and fold that. Once baked, poke holes into the cake with a skewer and let the lemony sugar syrup seep right into it. So delicious!

Also just so you know, it's got pistachios, broken down - if you grind them in a food processor, you'll get the look of the photo on top. If you break them into courser bits, you'll get the look of the pic at the end of this post...yup scroll all the way down.

December 11, 2015

What's not to love about figs and brie cheese. So good together! But add walnuts and they are even better.

I really wanted to make a crostini that is super simple to put together just with a few turns of the food processor. I also didn't want folks to have to go buy fig jam (borrring!) when you can use dried figs and some wonderful natural ingredients together, not a ton of sugar and end up with something fabulous!

We can all do with more of this during the holidays with all the potlucks and family gatherings we have to prep for.

So with a bit of dish of this and a dash of that, I think these flavors work really well together; dried figs, walnuts, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and Marsala wine but you could use any sweet wine or sweet Spanish sherry too. Why not!

I've also chosen not to melt the cheese but rather serve the fig on warm good good quality bread but by all means if you want to pop these in the oven to get the cheese a little melty, I say go for it!

November 20, 2015

I know I'm not alone feeling this way because so many of us have talked about how it really does feel like the end of the year crept up on us so suddenly.

I confess I just finalized my grocery list sitting in front of the TV last night & this year instead of having a girl's night out trying to catch up, my gal pal Beth & I are going to meet up at the grocery store and shop together for Thanksgiving!

If you're not a foodie, this would be totally weird but if you are, you'd get this...it's culinary girl bonding at it's very best!

Peet's coffee to top it off is always a good idea too!

So, I meant to get this incredible crostini recipe out to you well in advance but a late night Saturday is just going to have to do. Hopefully some of you are still trolling the web for amazing appetizers. This one channels everything I love about Sicilian cuisine - roasted cauliflower which is celebrated with the sweetness of raisins, parsley and is just wonderful.

I created it for my small plates class and was so loved! I must say if you try searching the web for cauliflower crostinis most of them have you boiling the cauliflower (yuck) and turning into goop(uber yuck!) - who want's baby food on their appetizer! But then again, maybe that's just me.

Give this a go, and turn it into vegetarian by just skipping the proscuitto or serve it on the side and folks can dig in as they want.

July 12, 2015

One of my favorites things is when I have a seed of an idea that works it's way as I muddle through, to a blossom of a recipe!

So here's a simple idea that just turned out to be spectacular. Having made at least 4 times since Memorial day weekend & taught it at my Great American Desserts workshop just before 4th of July, I'm ready to state that it is past testing phases and ready to share.

A cake base that is the usual combination of butter, sugar eggs & flour but with the addition of chopped up candied orange peels come together into a thick cookie like dough and baked at the bottom of the cake pan, ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, an easy peasy custard is whipped up with eggs, vanilla (pure of course!), shredded coconut, a teensy bit of flour and cream.

Poured right over the slightly baked base, topped with super ripe apricot halves and baked until it sets.

Cool, cut into wedges and serve. Simple or what?!

I have much to be grateful to Mr. Hubby's co-workers for; they have over the years stoically borne the fruits of my 'straight off the press' recipes and even take a moment to send lovely comments like this one via hubby;

"One of the best cakes I have ever had. Thanks SD! And thank your wife".

- EG

"My compliments to the chef. This cake is FANTASTIC!"

- CD

Trust me when I tell you, you won't find a better way to glorify summer apricots and irrespective, this one's a keeper!

So I hope you'll give it a go while apricots are still hot on the market stands.

The picture of the cake, on the way to Mr. Hubby's office is incredibly less flattering that the final product and I was so hoping to get a nice pic for the website of a nice cut wedge, but the cake pan returned at the end of the day with not a crumb left.

March 14, 2015

My love affair with English muffins began and was pretty much sealed during my time in Sydney. Muffins and Muesli the breakfast of choice before a long swim in waters of Coogee bay. When peeps speak of Sydney beaches, almost everyone raves about Bondi (pronounce Bon-dai) but I have always loved Coogee.

The salt water stone pool, the view sitting on the benches on the grassy knoll that overlooks the bay, I love it all.

Sydney was the beginning of so many good things for me – my introduction and love of some GREAT cuisine, friendships that began and are going on 2 decades, a first class education and memories that will last a lifetime. No question!

No English muffins, fork split, toasted TWICE to a golden brown and slathered with European butter was pretty much a great staple breakfast for me. I continue to buy the Thomas muffins at the supermarket here in the US but have for some time now been working on a recipe for really good, plump, buttah trapping English muffins.

I love Alton Brown but I found his recipe lacking. I tried several recipes with egg but didn’t like the texture. This final recipe is a sort of mix of ‘jamabalaya’ if you will that has come together from scribbled, over written, batter stained and dog eared recipe book. I will forever be grateful to my friend Beth who gifted me a blank recipe writing book a decade ago that I still use dedicatedly. My little treasure house!

So this English muffin recipe begins with a starter and basically it’s a the basic yeast loving mess – flour, water and some dry active yeast so they can eat the sugar in the mixture (from the starch), release carbon dioxide, multiply exponentially until the batter is all pock faced by morning.

The starter is then mixed up with the usual suspects – flour, milk, yeast, baking powder blah blah blah to make a soft gooey dough which turns not so gooey after the first rise 90 minutes later. The dough is divided into portion which are cast iron skillet toasted to a golden brown on both sides.

Once fork split (not knife split) and toasted TWICE for my toaster you end up with the marvelous, rich bodied English muffin that tastes better than eating cardboard with pock marks and slathered with butter.

I also like that homemade ones are slightly larger and I find the slight imperfections of shape, endearing. Which is hint to all you OCD kitchen divas, don’t sweat the shape too much! As long as they are roundish and don’t look like something out of Dragon tales, you’re fine!

I do recommend 2 qty 10” cast iron skillets or 1 large electric griddle which will make life much easier. Since I’m not so gung-ho about shape perfection, I’m not going out and investing in rings and what not. Not unless you plan on fixing this every single week in which case, I say your investment will pay off!

Either way, what a fun little Sunday project. I turned mine into Sunday Brunch with Eggs Benedict with roasted red peppers and Asparagus and a side of homemade sausages. All in all a lovely way to spend Sunday. Give it a go!

February 15, 2015

Writing a blog is a lot like looking into Dumbledore's pensieve & considering that I've been at it for 5 years now, I find myself constantly walking down memory lane (as you have just figured out, I am a huge fan of the J K Rowling's Harry Potter books)

As I began mixing a batch of our favorite banana, buttermilk & chocolate chip muffins I realized 3 things;

1) No matter how determined I am to stick to my weight loss journey, resisting chocolate is futile. It seems like I'll add a bit of dark to everything I bake.

2) There is a certain irony to the fact I am writing a food blog and working on losing weight simultaneously. Though I attribute any success to the fact

3) I have NEVER blogged these muffins and they are a must have around our home.

When was the last time your better half, texted you and offered to pick up groceries i.e. bananas for you?

Let's face it, when our hubbies walk out that door for work, the last think they're thinking of are their old ladies...much less grocery list for said old lady!

So imagine my surprise, when I get exactly such a text from Mr. Hubby offering to go to the store to get bananas since he's craving these muffins.

Maybe, just maybe a thought or two does wander my way during his work day. Imagine that!

January 17, 2015

The word beignet (pronounced ben-YAY) comes from the early Celtic word bigne meaning "to raise." It is also French for "fritter."

Beignets, considered the ancestor to modern doughnut is a New Orleans specialty.

They are fried, raised pieces of yeast dough, usually about 2 inches square. After being fried, they are sprinkled with a ton of powdered sugar. So basically, beignets are like a sweet doughnut with a square shape and without a hole. Except, that once you've actually eaten a beignet, you won't be going to Dunkin for a doughnut any-time-soon!

Cafe du Monde in New Orleans are famous for their beignets that opened it's doors in 1862 and continues to thrive even today. All you have to do is ask for an order with cafe au lait. Because, truly that's the only way to enjoy these hot off the stove - with a side of coffee made with equal parts of hot milk.

There are however, local dives that considered to serve even more superior doughnuts in New Orleans and I'm all for going beignet hoppin' one of these days. The argument is one I'm shelving for another day!

There are many many recipes for Beignets all over the blogosphere and I've sifted through many. Finally, by trial and error, I'm stuck on this. Can't go wrong and turns out great every time.

Instead, head to the kitchen and make a batch of these. Uber easy to make, a batch of these with a cuppa and good bye, winter blues.

The only thing that would make these better would be sitting streetside in New Orleans and digging into batch after batch. Until then, it's home kitchen style!

January 04, 2015

I know it's time to get going on those New Year resolutions but I've decided to allow myself a momentary lapse of judgement on this rainy Sunday Morning. After all a bit of Sunday baking is good for the soul!

And I love this cake for the virtue of the simple fact that it is completely adaptable and switches faces very quickly. And successfully.

What ever do I mean?

It goes from being a cake to a fudgy torte with one minor switch - if you roughly grind the hazelnuts into small pieces, it takes the face of a rich custardy torte.

If you find grind the hazelnuts like I have here you end up with a more cake like consistency. We baked both for my Saturday class over the weekend and everyone picked their fave rendition.

Bear in mind though that hazelnuts especially raw ones are a bitch to come by. So once again it's amazon.com to the rescue. However here in the U.S, Trader Joes sells bags of roasted unsalted hazelnuts with filberts more on than off.

Never mind that because this cake is so completely forgiving that it all comes together just fine. One word of caution, please don't flip out at the sight of the oozy liquidy batter and shovel a whole bunch of flour to the recipe.

It all comes together beautifully. I promise!

And once again, don't go buying cheap ingredients - splurge on the Vanilla bean paste and good high quality chocolate and how you shall be rewarded my precious!

Which is why I love these biscotti for the holidays. They make wonderful gifts just like the mincemeat pies wrapped up in gorgeous festive packaging.

This right here is my basic biscotti recipe all spruced up! Why mess with a good thing? And my basic biscotti recipe from this post here, is a perfect starting point.

Which brings me to why I think it's so Christmassy - dried fruits like currants and golden raisins, pistachios, sliced almonds, chopped up orange and lemon peel and home blended spice mix and you've on your way to a perfect batch of gift worthy Biscotti.

November 24, 2014

No doubt many of you were right there with me running from store to store stocking up and working down a long grocery list.

With Thanksgiving on Thursday just 3 days away, most of us have buttoned down on our menus and it's all systems go!

So how about a special treat for the long weekend? It really is one of the best times I think as far a holidays go in the U.S. Families are at home and huddled around the fire place and there are so many opportunities for long relaxed meals.

Leftovers are lovely of course but it's also great time for a nice treat for breakfast or brunch. Now let me be honest, our family has never been a fan of cinnamon rolls. I guess, it's one of those things which you either do or you don't.

So using up leftover cranberry relish mixed up with some good quality orange marmalade like Bonne Maman so you hit some of those bitter notes, is an exceptional way to reinvent an old classic. Ooh la la!

I'm using a basic dough recipe paired with the filling and finished with a glaze.

You'll just have to trust me when I tell you that you will L.O.V.E these rolls and they'll be a highlight of your brunch. They'er super easy to put together and what a great way to use up left over relish but also a great way to kick off the holiday week just when you make that fresh batch of cranberry relish.

And before you go off, you'll love the convenience of making the dough the night before and refrigerating after the first rise allowing you to whip up these gorgeous rolls as early morning treats with your cuppa. Win-win.

We loved it so much for our Sunday brunch that I carried a batch to work as a holiday treat for my colleagues. It was gobbled up in 15 minutes flat! And thoroughly appreciated might I add.

So this week, I'm going to ignore my thickening waistline and enjoy the time ahead for what it is - a time to be ever so grateful for all the gifts the universe has bestowed on us, which I humbly must admit have been plentiful and treasure our family and friends.